


Ask the community...
THE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! I've been waiting 5 weeks for my first payment because they keep saying my claim is under review. Meanwhile I can't pay my rent! And good luck trying to call them - the phone just hangs up on you after an hour on hold.
The system is SO broken! 26 weeks isn't enough time to find decent work in this economy. They expect you to take any minimum wage job just to get off benefits. Meanwhile they're making it harder and harder to even qualify in the first place!
Wait, are we talking about regular unemployment or standby? Because standby has different rules. I was on standby for my union job and that was different timing.
I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my claim that's stuck in adjudication and can never get through. The phone system is absolutely terrible. If you need to talk to someone about your application, I recently found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you connected to a real person at claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration compared to calling myself and getting hung up on constantly.
The whole system is rigged anyway!! They deny everyone first hoping you just give up. I got denied initially too even though I was clearly laid off due to company downsizing. Had to appeal and fight for months before finally getting approved. Document EVERYTHING for your appeal!
For unsafe working conditions, you'll need evidence like: written complaints you filed, photos of hazards, witness statements from coworkers, any responses from management, documentation that you tried internal remedies first. The key is showing you had no reasonable alternative but to quit. NYS Department of Labor considers this 'constructive dismissal' if you can prove it.
Ethan Clark
Don't forget you'll also need to file your weekly claims every week to keep getting benefits, even if your initial claim is still processing. And you have to do job search activities - the requirement is 3 work search contacts per week unless you're on standby status with your employer.
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NebulaNomad
•What counts as work search contacts? Just applying for jobs online or do I need to do other stuff too?
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Ethan Clark
•Job applications, networking events, career fairs, contacting employers directly, even creating/updating LinkedIn profiles can count. Keep a log of everything with dates and details because they can audit your job search activities.
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StarStrider
ugh the whole unemployment system is such a mess. they make it impossible to get straight answers about anything including how much you'll actually receive until you're already in the system
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Yuki Sato
•I feel you on that! But once you get through the initial setup it's not too bad. The weekly claims only take like 5 minutes to file online.
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